Noel Boland, Eve Buckley, Melo Bliss and Rituals have been picked out as local finalists in the A New Local Hero national talent search - a key part of Irish Music Month which is set to kick off on 21 stations across Ireland on September 1st.

As one of the central features of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero is a major call to arms for Irish musicians and bands – with all 21 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions in recent months. The excitement is rising, with a slew of announcements arriving over the next few days. Each of the acts selected by the stations will perform and be interviewed on their local station, with one act from each station going forward onto the long-list of contenders for the national A New Local Hero award.

Launched in 2021, Irish Music Month is an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán.

What Irish Music Month means, across participating independent stations, is:

– More Irish music song plays

– More Irish music features

– More Irish artist gig pushes

– More Irish artist interviews

And – what's more – we'll be putting over €100,000 into the hands of music makers and their crews across the country too.

Let's get to it then, here are East Coast FM's shortlisted artists...

Rituals:

Based out of Kilcoole, this industrious four-piece are a formidable live unit, as anyone who's popped in to one of their monthly residency shows at The Dalkey Duck will attest to. With over forty years of sonic experience under their collective belt, they notably feature Irish-Canadian guitarist Kurt Schefter, formerly of Bagatelle. Fusing elements of rock and soul, their latest EP was recorded at the storied Windmill Lane studios. Energetic and inspiring stuff.

Rituals

Melo Bliss:

Residing in the rolling hills Blessington, Co. Wicklow, these indie rockers have made a name for themselves for crafting feel-good, nostalgia-hued sounds (see gloriously wistful debut single 'I'm okay' for reference). With a diverse set of inspirations ranging from the Foo Fighters, Pixies and Amy Winehouse, they've sold out numerous local gigs and took to the stage at the Kaleidoscope festival earlier this year to impressive effect. A highly-capable, highly-promising alternative four-piece.

Melo Bliss

Eve Buckley

Hailing from the picturesque seaside town of Greystones, this talented songstress' sound fits very much under the umbrella of radio-destined contemporary pop. She's got good taste too, professing an ambition to emulate the lyrical astuteness and engaging performances of her heroes Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell and Hozier. Growing up in a family of jazz musicians, Buckley has had a positively busy time of it as of late, supporting acts like Mary Black, Mundy and Mary Coughlan. The competition is clearly strong and fierce in the Garden County.

Eve Buckley

Noel Boland:

A veteran of gigs in venues across Ireland and the UK for over ten years, this Blessington resident showcased a passion for American country from an early age. He lists the likes of Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, George Jones and George Strait as some of his influences, and their chart-topping writing styles shine through in Boland's catalogue of honky-tonkin', country-pop bops. Already a finalist on TG4's Glór Tíre last year and a winner of various accolades for his original tunes, it's no surprise to see the talented crooner included by East Coast FM here.

Irish Music Month is also supported by IMRO, RAAP, Live Nation, Rubyworks and Camden Recording Studios.

See the full list of participating radio stations below:

Clare FM
Classic Hits
Cork's 96FM
East Coast FM
FM104
Galway Bay Fm
Highland Radio
KCLR
KFM
Limerick Live 95FM
LMFM
Midlands 103
MidWest Radio
Northern Sound
Ocean FM
Radio Kerry
Radio Nova
Shannonside
South-East Radio
Tipp FM
WLR FM

• Irish Music Month - Irish Radio Supporting Artists - in association with IBI, Hot Press & Coimisiún na Meán's Sound & Vision Scheme, funded by the Television License Fee.

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